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A Fascinating Young Woman
Just a guess, but I suspect I am not the only person pulling into the Naugatuck Recycling Center on Saturday mornings over the last three years who was surprised to see a young woman, an attractive, somewhat petite teenager working there. It seems like neither the obvious nor the fashionable job choice. I think of teenage girls working in restaurants, drug stores, clothing stores and the like — not using their muscles in the performance of unglamorous physical labor at a recycling center. But that is where red-haired, 5'4" Emily has been working for the last three years. Every time I brought stuff to be recycled, both Emily and her colleagues were always cheerful and helpful. I was curious to learn more about her and was delighted when she consented to be interviewed.
Emily was born at Waterbury Hospital in December, 1987, so she will only be a teenager for a couple more months. With her red hair, you might expect her to be of Scandinavian, Irish or German extraction. In fact she is all three. She has lived here in Naugatuck with her family all of her life. The household currently includes Mom, Dad, Emily, a sister seventeen and a brother fourteen. An older sister, age 23, is married and recently gave birth to a baby girl. Emily seems quite content to live at home with her family. The family is very close and she is very much a part of it. With that goesd a certain protective attitude toward her younger brother and sister. Holidays are very much a family affair, whether the 4th of July, Memorial Day or Christmas. They follow the Swedish custom of celebrating the birth of Christ on Christmas Eve, but without the traditional lighted candle on the head. Emily spoke with a quiet emphasis when speaking of her that added force and depth to her words. Aware that she is on a collision course with adulthood, when I asked her if she considered herself grown-up, she replied, “Not yet.”
A 2005 graduate of Naugatuck High School, Emily joined ROTC because her sister and cousin where in it. She stayed in all four years, two in the Color Guard. While in school, she discovered that the study of foreign languages was just not her thing. She dropped out of Spanish and signed on to a tech ed course doing things with her hands, like a making a wooden tool box and putting up shelves. Emily has a strong practical streak and admits to being a bit of a Tom-Boy. So working with her hands fit right in. At the same time, she enjoys expressing her feminine self buying clothes and shoes. While in high school, her personal style leaned to gothic and her favorite store was Hot Topic. But now she prefers buying sweaters at Deb. Yellow is her favorite color and she has a white dress with black polka dots and yellow flowers that she likes. But more often than not, she will be wearing jeans — they go with the strong practical streak.
Although baptized at Saint Francis Roman Catholic Church on Church Street, the subject of our interview does not go to church regularly, but is comfortable with the belief structure with which she was reared. Gandhi said we can only find peace within ourselves if our beliefs and our actions were in harmony. Emily is comfortable with herself. That comfort shows clearly in her relaxed demeanor. When asked questions, she answered with ease and generally without hesitation. When having her picture taken, there was no primping, no preparation. She just followed directions and let it happen. She is a natural and it shows in the result. Emily said, “I don’t mind being myself.”. Those words summarize how she presents herself. She wears no makeup because she sees that as hiding herself behind a mask and she feels no need to do that.
The normal mode of transportation for Emily is by foot. She does not yet drive and finds the idea a little scary. If you stop and think about it, it is. We may drive like we think we are immortal, but we are not. Heights and bridges are a source of discomfort for our interviewee. A six-foot ladder is ok, but a twenty-footer makes her nervous — as does the bridge at Southford Falls.
Emily thinks of herself as a little weird. Not in an outward demonstrative way but quietly in a personal way. One example might be the chicken hat she has in her closet. Another might, to some, be the fact that she does not drink and doesn't particularly care for parties. In her view, when the two are combined, people tend to act loud and obnoxious and she prefers to avoid all that. “Weird.” Another word might be “healthy.” Emily is quite independent and does not feel a strong need to please other people in unhealthy ways.
According to Emily, her boyfriend is “just as weird as I am.” His name is Robert, he is also of Swedish extraction. Emily finds him funny and outgoing. One of the things they enjoy doing together is hiking. They take pleasure in the beauty of nature and the open space around them. In fact one of Emily's concerns is the potential for destruction of open space in Naugatuck by over-development. She would much rather see the compact, well-planned, job-producing development of a Renaissance Place (which she supports), then more of the creeping, uncontrolled suburban sprawl that gobbles up fields and forests and puts pressure on schools and roads. She has not forgotten how difficult it is to work one's way through the crowds to get from a class at one end of Naugatuck High School to one at another in the four-minute limit.
When she is not spending time with Robert or with her family, Emily likes to read. Her favorite authors are Brooklyn-born Christopher Pike and English-born J. K. Rowling. Pike explores the relationship between good and evil in books such as Falling, The Season of Passage and The Cold One. Rowling is, of course, the best-selling author of the Harry Potter Series. While Emily has seen the movies, she prefers savoring the details in the books.
Well, that is about all there is to the interview, but certainly not all there is to Emily. She is a work in progress, a fascinating young woman, growing into adulthood. She appears to be off to a good start. We wish her well on her journey.
Oh, yes — the job. How did Emily come to work at the Recycling Center? Quite simply, the job was available. She wanted a job. Her Dad suggested that she check with the town to learn if there were any openings. She did and there was. Recently she got a second job at Dollar Tree. Good thing she likes hiking.